Mandatory Union Service
The United Stars of the Galaxies is a limited Democracy, where only a Union Citizen can vote, interact or make demands upon the Government or receive benefits. Originally an individual would become an Union Citizen automatically based upon their parents being Union Citizens, or by being a citizen of a society joining the Union. Due to a number of incidents, it was decided to put in place two basic conditions for Citizenship - Pass the Citizen's test (after completing the citizenship classes at a Union School), and complete a mandatory twenty-two months of Federal Service. The reason for establishing the Mandatory Union Service can be summarized by the idea "The Responsibility to keep the Union safe from outside threats belongs to everyone." The Mandatory Union Service can be performed in any of the following areas: *Any Branch United Stars Military (Including Local Defense Forces if they are part of the Federal Guard Association.) *Medical assistance at a Union Med Station. *Union School janitors or flier pilots. *Cargo handlers or janitors at Union Space Ports. *Entry positions at the Union Post Office (Those undergoing the Mandatory Union Service are not allowed to hold positions where they would directly handle the mail, but there are a number of positions available.) *Union Survey Services *Union Colony Bureau. *Union Ranger Service *Science Services *Border Patrol *Union Police and Law enforcement *Union Fire Department *Emergency Responder *Civil Defense *Union Corps of Engineers *There is also a number of other Federal and local community services that fulfill the Mandatory Union Service requirements. Upon joining an organization to fulfil their madatory service, the Proto Citizen has an entry interview to help place him according to their interests and the needs of that organization. If at the time of the interview, the Proto Citizen indicates they only want to fulfill the minimum time period obligation that severely limits the choices of positions available to them. For instance, within the United Stars Military, individuals wishing to be Commissioned Officers need to commit to ten years of service. They can however serve as Enlisted personnel in certain MOS that require little formal training for the minimum time period (currently 22 months.) In theory the mandatory service can be performed at any time after an individual passes the Citizen's test. Most individuals chose to start their service shortly after taking the test, since they only receive the full benefits of Union Citizenship after it's completion (During the time an individual is serving their Mandatory Union Service for most purposes they are considered Union Citizens, but that status is automatically revoked if they fail to complete their service time.) In many cases the mandatory service provides educational credits for university or technical schools. It also can provide some of the funds needed for higher education as well as travel opportunities. Due to the wide range of options, most individuals can find positions that fit their interests. Exceptions A number of societies have received an exception for the mandatory service granted by the Assembly, but in those cases members of that society that chose to live elsewhere have a predetermined time limit to start their service. Failure to do so means the loss of citizenship. As part of the process in accepting a new Union Member, the Assembly may propose that individuals who have performed equivalent service for their society would be considered having fulfilled the service obligation. Transition from OTT to UST As a part of the Time Keeping Reform of 5050, it was decided to keep the time period of Mandatory Union Service as 22 months, even though this would nearly double the service time when counted in days. Those who had started prior to the vote approving the new timekeeping system would retain their old "completion date" as measured in OTT. Those who started their mandatory period between the day of the vote and the implementation date could chose which of the two (OTT and UST) they preferred to use, as well as allowing a combination of the two. Finally, those starting after the Union Standard Time was officially implemented would use US months. Category:United Stars of the Galaxies Category:Union Society